“You Sort of Go Down a Rabbit Hole...You’re Just Going to Keep on Searching”: A Qualitative Study of Searching Online for Pregnancy-Related Information During Pregnancy

Abstract

BackgroundThe Web is becoming increasingly popular for gaining information on medical or health issues; with women in particular likely to search online for this type of information and support. Despite the increased use of the Web for health-related information, we need to question whether the Web and the ease of seeking health information that it provides leads to more (patient) empowerment. As well as being a time of joy and expectations, pregnancy can be a worrying time for women, especially first time mums-to-be, with unfamiliar experiences and symptoms and concerns for the baby as well as the self.ObjectiveOur aim was to explore how and why pregnant women use the Web to gain information and support during pregnancy and what they consider a reliable source.MethodsTo meet the objectives of the study, a qualitative approach was required to gather information on the experiences of currently pregnant women who use the Web to gain information and support during their pregnancy. Sixteen pregnant women took part in a semistructured interview, either face-to-face or via telephone. The interviews took place from January to March 2016, all participants were from England, and the health professionals are all employed by the National Health Service (NHS). Qualitative analytical procedures were employed using inductive thematic analysis supported by NVivo software (QSR International).ResultsPregnant women found reassurance from the experiences of others. This reassurance resulted in them feeling less alone, as well as enabling them to normalize any symptoms or experiences they were undergoing. The women understood that caution was needed at times while reading the stories of others, acknowledging the potential for extreme cases or worst case scenarios. This is particularly pertinent to the Web, as this wide range of stories may not be as easily accessible if stories where confined to those in a woman’s offline social circle. The interviews provide insights into how and why pregnant women search online for information and perhaps more so, support while pregnant.ConclusionsSearching for health information and advice online during pregnancy is viewed as quick, easy, and accessible. The affordances of the Web have provided women the opportunity to go online as a first port of call. Knowing they were not alone and reading the experiences or symptoms of other pregnant women enabled women to normalize their experience and was ultimately reassuring for pregnant women.

The Rise of Pregnancy Apps and the Implications for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Women: Narrative Review (Preprint)

“…One US study found Google searches were the most common mode of information seeking, particularly early in pregnancy [16]. An important factor for many women was the ability to obtain information instantly and easily [6,15,17,18]. Importantly, in one global study almost half of the 613 women surveyed reported that their online information-seeking was triggered by dissatisfaction with health professionals regarding both the information provided and insufficient time to ask questions.…”

“…Facebook, discussion forums) features frequently in research on pregnancy information seeking and can be an important way for women to find support, develop networks, and foster emotional well-being [22,23]. Social media platforms, which are usually accessed via an app on women's phones, also provide women with an setting in which they can acquire and share (nonmedical) knowledge and expertise about motherhood [24], and are a helpful way for women to get an idea of whether their symptoms and experiences in pregnancy are "normal" [17,25]. Apps with social media functionality may be particularly useful in late pregnancy and the postnatal period when needs change from seeking information to seeking support (community), and avoiding isolation [22].…”

“…One study found that young first-time mothers exhibited increased levels of anxiety and tension as a result of their information seeking [47]. Other studies describe how women's online researching can turn into a stressful exercise where women may find it difficult to know when to stop searching [17], where unnecessary worry can be created from exposure to "horror stories" and "scare mongering" [25] and the net result can be more questions or confusion rather than answers [27]. These findings highlight a need for health professionals to have high levels of awareness of available information and resources.…”

Analyzing Empowerment Processes Among Cancer Patients in an Online Community: A Text Mining Approach (Preprint)

“…Previous studies found that peer-to-peer online platforms can be sources of information and support. Peers provide these sources themselves by helping other users or to emotionally support each other [7][8][9][10][11][12]. Online empowering processes can facilitate empowering outcomes outside the online environment such as being better informed, feeling more confident with the physician, and improved acceptance of the disease [1].…”

Qualitative analysis of UK and USA open mental health Facebook groups for mental health support (Preprint)

“…Researchers are using SNSs such as Facebook increasingly for recruitment to health related studies [4,5]. In addition, there has been an increase in the use of SNSs such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for health related information seeking and sharing [6][7][8][9][10][11], for health related topics such as diabetes [12,13], pregnancy [14], and asthma [15].…”